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Sergei Kravinoff (Earth-616)
, , ally of Gog, the Gibbon, Lightmaster, Calypso and Chameleon, | Relatives = Chameleon (half-brother) Grim Hunter (son, deceased) Kraven the Hunter (Alyosha Kravinoff) (son) Ned Tannengarden (son, deceased) Gog (adoptive son) Sasha Kravinoff (wife, deceased) Ana Tatiana Kravinoff (daughter) Xraven (clone) Nikolai Kravinoff (father,deceased) Anna Kravinoff (mother) | Universe = Earth-616 | BaseOfOperations = Kenya, Africa, formerly Volgograd (Stalingrad), Russia | Gender = Male | Height = 6'0" | Weight = 235 lbs | Eyes = Brown | Hair = Black | UnusualFeatures = | Citizenship = Russian | MaritalStatus = Widowed | Occupation = Professional hunter, adventurer | Education = College educated | Origin = The son of a Russian aristocrat, Sergei found he had a great talent after finding employment in Africa. After meeting a witch doctor, Kraven took a herbal potion which enhanced his physical powers. He used his new found powers to further aid his big hunts. He soon befriended the Chameleon who suggested his biggest hunt of his life: Spider-Man! | PlaceOfBirth = Volgograd (Stalingrad), Russia former USSR | PlaceOfDeath = New York City, New York | Creators = Stan Lee; Steve Ditko | First = | HistoryText = Born into an aristocracy that had come to an end, Sergei Kravinoff (Russian: Сергей Kravinoff), also known as Kraven, became one of the world's greatest hunters to fulfill his sense of lost nobility. Avengers 1959 Kraven was approached by Nick Fury while relaxing with his then-girlfriend, Namora, on a private beach on the Emerald Coast of Florida in 1959. Fury wanted the pair to join his black ops team code-named the Avengers. During this meeting it was revealed that Kraven and fellow recruit Victor Creed had previously met in Africa, prompting Kraven to shoot the mutant in the chest. Creed quickly recovered due to his healing factor and Fury told the pair to put aside any differences between them if they wanted to be part of his team, which they agreed to do. These new Avengers then traveled to Helsingborg, Sweden, where the Red Skull and his newly formed Fourth Reich were trying to create a new Super-Soldier formula. The group gained entry to the Skull's castle headquarters by hijacking a truck and hiding in the back while the Silver Sable drove. When the truck's doors were opened the operatives opened fire on the unprepared Nazi guards. While searching for the Red Skull, the group came across a Nazi Captain America impostor. Kraven was ordered to continue hunting for the Skull while many of the other group members stayed to deal with the super-soldier. Kraven found the Red Skull and fired at him with his sniper rifle, but shot the soldier standing to the Skull's right. The hunter couldn't believe that he missed a target like the Red Skull's big red head. To compound things, he then accidentally shot Sabretooth as he pounced on the Skull, temporarily taking him out of the fight. After Namora captured the Skull, Nick Fury took his briefcase and told the rest of the group he would meet up with them later before disappearing for over a month. When he reappeared in Autumn of that year, Fury gathered the team together at the Stork Club in New York City to celebrate a job well done. During the dinner, Kraven and Sabretooth resumed their rivalry once more, with Kraven shooting him in the face before he was berated by Namora. After the meal, the members each went their separate ways with Kraven and Namora heading to their houseboat docked in the 96th Street Boat Basin. Here the pair continued their argument over Sergei's behavior and were just able to make up when their boat came under attack by a submarine bearing a skull-shaped blazon on it. Kraven was able to destroy the sub by shooting a large amount of ammo crates on his own boat. Fury soon reassembled his team after realizing that many of their members had come under similar attacks. The enigmatic Powell McTeague then used his magical abilities to teleport Kraven, Namora, Dominic Fortune and Sabretooth aboard a ship in the South China Sea which was under the command of Nazi superhumans Baron Blood and Brain Drain. Before the Avengers were able to capture them, however, the villains were teleported away, leaving nothing but a fiery skull symbol burned into the deck of the boat behind. While still on the Nazi vessel, which was being piloted by McTeague's magic, the group next came to the aid of Nick Fury and the Blonde Phantom who were travelling to Madripoor by boat and were attacked by the Ubermadchen. The Avengers quickly overpowered the women and questioned them before allowing Sabretooth to kill them and continuing on to Madripoor. Here they learned more about their shadowy foes and staged an attack on their mansion headquarters, capturing their strategist Innsbruck the Planner. From him they learned that the organization's name was ICON and their next target was the scientifically futuristic nation of Wakanda. The Avengers were able to arrive there in time to stop ICON's attack on the nation. During the ensuing struggle, Kraven fought Doctorangutan, subduing the orangutan by shoving a taser wand in his mouth and activating it. The group were then teleported to Washington D.C. to apprehend ICON's leader, Geoffrey Sydenham. In this final struggle, Kraven was able to take down Baron Blood by hurling a wooden javelin tipped with a silver blade through the vampire's heart. After ICON had been dismantled, the Avengers again each went their separate ways, with Kraven wanting to join his father in Key West, as the marlin were apparently biting. The irony of going on a fishing expedition alongside Namora was apparently lost on Kraven. Spider-Man At some point the notion of big game hunting began to bore the hunter, so his associate (later revealed to be his half-brother) proposed to Kraven that he hunt Spider-Man, and thus gave Kraven new purpose in life. Kraven gained power by drinking rare and exotic jungle elixirs given to him by his voodoo priestess lover -- Calypso. These elixirs gave him the strength and speed of a savage beast, all the better to catch Spider-Man with. Despite being assisted by the Chameleon, his scheme failed and he was deported from the U.S. He returned soon, however, first alongside the Chameleon (where he was caught by Iron Man. The Sinister Six Unable to best the wall-crawler on his own, Kraven sought strength in numbers. Early in his career, he and five other members of Spider-Man's rogues gallery united under the leadership of Doctor Octopus -- brilliant, respected scientist turned tentacled terror. The inaugural incarnation of the Sinister Six also included the shifty Sandman; the illusion-casting Mysterio; the high-flying, lowdown Vulture; and Electro. The villains' master plan: Pummel the wall-crawler one by one until one of them would manage to defeat him. The outcome: Spidey 6, bad guys 0. When he kidnapped Dr. David Malraux who had developed a psychomotor response procedure by which Kraven hoped to increase his neural responses, he clashed with and was defeated by Tigra. Unlike other hunters, he typically disdained the use of guns or bow and arrows preferring to take down large dangerous animals with his bare hands even though he often made elaborate preparations to weaken a quarry before hand. He also used a mystical serum to increase his strength to superhuman levels, but even without the serum he was a threat to the wall-crawler. However, Kraven's continual underestimation of the superhero's resourcefulness made him a frustrating quarry. Last Hunt Due to his aggravation with his inability to run the superhero down further destroyed his sanity. With that, he hatched a scheme that actually defeated Spider-Man, and seemingly and uncharacteristically shot him. Considering his enemy effectively dead, Kraven buried him alive. After this, Kraven donned a copy of Spider-Man's costume and sought to prove that he was superior at his enemy's activities. He brutally attacked and beaten criminals, culminating in 15 men in the hospital and one killed. He single-handed captured a minor super villain, Vermin, whom Spider-Man needed the help of Captain America to defeat. After that triumph, Spider-Man revived from the tranquilizer dart he was actually shot with and dug his way out of the grave. Kraven greeted him and explained that he had made his point about defeating his enemy. Then he released Vermin and told Spider-Man to pursue him. Convinced he had finally regained his honor, the deranged Kraven left a note for the police confessing that he impersonated Spider-Man and took his own life. After Kraven died, the Chameleon was revealed to be Dmitri Smerdyakov, Kraven's half-brother, personal servant, and the victim of Kraven's abuse, and yet, according to Smerdyakov, the two were best friends nonetheless. Kraven has since had two sons take up his role. The first one named Vladimir Kravinoff had a brief career as the "Grim Hunter," and was killed by Kaine, an insane clone of Spider-Man. The second one named Alyosha Kravinoff (or "Al Kraven") briefly operated as the second "Kraven the Hunter" before retiring from the super villain scene, moving to Hollywood, and returning to villainy. He had a third son, Ned Tannengarden who tried unsuccessfully to kill his half-brother Al and was himself killed by the Chameleon (who at this point was so insane he believed himself to be the original Kraven). He also had a daughter named Ana Kravinoff. Kraven was resurrected and used as a soldier by a mysterious villain. The Gauntlet Kraven's family, headed up by his wife Sasha Kravinoff, began collecting old enemies of Spider-Man in an attempt to resurrect him. After Spider-Woman was sacrificed as part of a ritual to resurrect Vladimir as a humanoid lion-like creature, the Kravinoffs devised a trap for Spider-Man which worked and sacrificed him to resurrect Kraven. Kraven got reacquainted with his family and wondered where Vladimir was. He found Vladimir trying to attack Arachne and Araña where Kraven subdued Vladimir. When he tried to attack Ana, she stabbed him in the heart which did nothing to him. It turned out that Kaine took Spider-Man's place when he was killed to resurrect Kraven when Sasha unmasked the Spider-Man corpse. This caused an imbalance in Kraven. When Spider-Man arrived and defeated most of the Kravinoffs, he fought Kraven but couldn't kill him due to the visions that Arachne saw. Before the Kravinoffs could be handed over to the authorities, they were gone in a flash. When in the Savage Land, Kraven decide to hunt his family to see if they were worthy to be Kravinoffs. Sasha was killed by Kraven because she complained about this, Vladimir was euthanized trying to defeat Kraven, and Alyosha fled. Ana told her father that she would go after Alyosha in exchange that he trained her in a plan to rebuild the Kravinoff family. While in the Savage Land, Kraven came across Agent Venom and attacked, believing that the Spider's dark spirit would be able to end his curse. Upon learning his opponent was handicapped, Kraven was outraged and attempted to kill Flash outright to assuage his honor, but was carried away by a giant bat. City of Sasquatches Kraven next appeared in the Pacific northwest of the United States, tracking the Hulk. He actually managed to subdue the behemoth long enough to explain his reason for attacking him. Sergei wanted to die and he wanted the Hulk to bring him Spider-Man to do the killing. In return, he would help Hulk find the hidden City of Sasquatches, thinking that Hulk knew what it was that Banner was looking for. Hulk didn't care about the city but did hate that Kraven slowly murdered a Bigfoot, making it's nearby kin respond to its screams of pain. The enraged Sasquatches took Hulk captive and Kraven rescued his "partner" from their city by threatening to kill one of the few remaining Bigfoot cubs. Hulk responded by punching him far out of the city. Into the Grave Shortly after Kraven revived, so was Kaine. Following events in which his degeneration was cured, Kaine started a new life in Houston as the new Scarlet Spider. But he was followed by Kraven, who wanted his death at the hands of Kaine to break the curse which didn't let him die. Kaine was confronted by Kraven, whom begun to torture him while dressed as Ben Reilly. With the help of Anna, Kraven kidnapped Kaine's friends in order to motivate the Scarlet Spider fight him. In the end, Kaine delivered Kraven a fatal blow in the chest, which paralyzed his heart, but using the same attack, Kaine brought him back to life, supposedly still breaking the curse. Following the fight, both Kravens disappeared. | Powers = Chemical/Magical Enhancement: After Kraven ingested Calypso's mythical potions, his physiology underwent several changes endowing him with superhuman physical attributes. The powers he gained put him 'on the top of the food chain' as they are even greater than those of Captain America, who is himself considered a pinnacle of human evolution. Kraven is better, stronger, faster and more cunning than any human, coupled with his skills, Kraven truly is a dangerous and deadly adversary. *''Superhuman Strength:'' Kraven was superhumanly strong and was capable of lifting approximately 2 tons. However due to his fighting experience his strength is just enough to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Spider-Man. *''Superhuman Speed:'' Kraven was capable of running and moving at speeds greater than even the finest human athlete. At his peak, Kraven could spring short distances at speeds up to 60 miles per hour. *''Superhuman Stamina:'' Kraven's musculature produced less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of an ordinary human. He could exert himself at peak capacity for several hours before fatigue began to impair him. *''Superhuman Durability:'' Though far from invulnerable, Kraven's body was somewhat tougher and more resistant to injury than the body of an ordinary human. He could withstand great impacts and blunt force trauma, such as being punched and kicked by Spider-Man, without injury. *''Superhuman Agility:'' Kraven's agility, balance, and bodily coordination were enhanced to levels that were beyond the human body's natural limits. His agility and speed are enough to keep up and even catch up to Spider-Man. *''Superhuman Reflexes:'' Kraven's reflexes and reaction time were enhanced to levels that were beyond the human body's natural limits. *''Extended Longevity:'' Kraven's jungle potions drastically altered his natural aging process, causing him to age much slower than an ordinary human. Despite being in his 70's at the time of his death, Kraven had the physical appearance and vitality of 30 year old man. *''Enhanced Senses:'' Even before ingesting the serum, Kraven had peak human senses but the ingestion seems to have enhanced them even further. He can see clearly over vast distances, but is still affected by darkness. His sense of hearing is also greatly improved and has very sensitive hearing. His smell is his strongest and most trained sense. Kraven is able to track prey by smell alone and can remember different scents and their owners, much like a dog. | Abilities = Experienced Combatant: Kraven is a master of many armed and unarmed forms of combat and his skill is great enough to beat Spider-Man in one-on-one combat. He is also a expert knife fighter. His fighting style is very savage in nature and Kraven has developed a unique fighting style by fighting wild and vicious animals with his bare hands. His fighting skills are often enough to defeat Spider-Man in combat, a being with far greater strength than Kraven. Weapon Specialist: He masters the usage of most melee weapons such as swords, axes, staves and spears. However due to his hunting experience he is also skilled with ranged weaponry and has a remarkable skill with rifles and blow darts. Expert Marksman: Kraven used all sorts of ranged weaponry during his life and as a result he possesses great accuracy and skill with guns and throwing weapons and also blow darts. He rarely misses his target. Master Tactician and Strategist: Kraven was a brilliant tactical mind and often deploys elaborate traps to surprise his foes. He makes excellent use of his taming skills by incorporating deadly predators into his schemes. Kraven's observatory skills are top-notch and he can patiently wait for hours just to find the perfect moment to strike. His plots allowed him to outsmart and kidnap the likes of Spider-Man and even Venom. He recently used his tactical skills to haunt the new Scarlet Spider (Kaine) while disguised as Ben Reilly. Master Hunter and Tracker: Kraven was and still is one of Earth's best hunters. He possesses astonishing tracking abilities and is even able to track Spider-Man across rooftops, furthermore he can pickup his prey's trail from meager details in the area. He also has vast hunting experience, knowing many special hunting methods and animal specific habits. He also developed techniques to track and hunt superpowered individuals like Spider-Man without their notice. Medical Knowledge: He is very familiar with medicine and with exotic poisons, drugs, plants, tranquilizers and their effect on both animal and human anatomy. He has amassed a great knowledge about animal biology and has moderate knowledge about human anatomy as well. Master Animal Tamer: Kraven can subdue and train almost any animal. Animals he trained show fearless loyalty to Kraven and follow his orders almost perfectly. He is able to train two animals and then command them in unison and with flawless synchronization. Due to this skill most people think he uses some sort of mind control. Minor Occult Knowledge: During Kraven's travel throughout the world, he came into contact with numerous tribes and civilizations. Thus he witnessed many of their rituals and has minor skills in there performance. He was able to recreate the Calypso serum for himself and his family. | Strength = While empowered by his mystic poisons, Kraven could press lift 2 tons. | Weaknesses = | Equipment = *Traps | Transportation = | Weapons = *Used various weaponry such as darts, spears, axes, nets, whips, poisons, and gases. Animals Rajah (Earth-616) Rajah, the terror of the jungle, was a tiger whom Kraven sparred with, to test his mettle before confronting the Vulture . Rajah attempted to assault Joey Ears, but it was eventually blocked by Kraven . Relatives Anna Kravinoff (Earth-616) Sergei's mother Anna was mentally insane. | Notes = | Trivia = * Kraven is card #15 of 4522 in Deadpool's Guide to Super Villains. | Links = * Kraven at SpiderFan.org }} Category:Sinister Six members Category:Kravinoff Family Category:Suicide Category:Formerly Deceased Category:Deceased Characters Category:Immortals Category:Undead Category:Mutates Category:Calypso Serum Category:Scarlet Spider Villains Category:Tablet of Order and Chaos users Category:Russians Category:Strategist Category:Weapons Expert Category:Thrown Weapons